Devin Mahina hopes to lead resurgence of BYU tight ends

Devin Mahina hopes to lead resurgence of BYU tight ends

PROVO, Utah (ABC 4 Sports) - BYU's tight ends were used very sparingly last season, but Devin Mahina hopes to change that in 2014.

PROVO, Utah (ABC 4 Sports) - From a school that has produced such standout tight ends as Gordon Hudson, Todd Christensen, Chad Lewis, Itula Mili, Jonny Harline and Dennis Pitta, it's incredible to think what has happened to the production from that position.

Last season, BYU tight ends caught a grand total of 21 passes for just one touchdown. Pitta used to catch that many passes in a couple games.

But led by Devin Mahina, the Cougar tight ends hope to see a resurgence this season.

"Ya, I'm licking my chops and working as hard as I can to be ready," said Mahina, who caught just seven passes in 2013. "I think we we're going to see the old BYU football with a lot more throwing and a lot more completions. I think the tight end is back and I think people are going to be excited."

Offensive coordinator Robert Anae is definitely excited. He says Mahina has shown immense improvement since the end of last season, and when Mahina is on the field, the offense flourishes.

"Between last fall and this spring, there is something about what Devin Mahina does that is very productive," Anae said. "So ya, I'm looking forward to seeing Mahina hitting the field because our studies tell us that our best yards per play come when he's on the field."

Mahina, Terren Houk and Brett Thompson make up a solid tight end corps that, with the improvement of quarterback Taysom Hill, should become much more productive.

"We've done a lot of work on our routes and talking about the coverages we're going to see," Mahina said. "I'm really excited for it. I've been waiting for so long."

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